July
4, 2005
By Kiki King and
James Tapper
Madonna was so
keen for everything to be all white on the night that she insisted
on buying the outfits for all 29 people appearing on stage with her.
She wanted her
five-piece band, two backing vocalists, two dancers and 20 gospel
choir singers to wear the white of Make Poverty History, but did not
want them bringing their own clothes.
She spent part
of Friday afternoon personally approving every piece of clothing that
had been bought on her order.
Then the 46-year-old
told them all that they were not allowed to sit in their outfits for
half an hour before going on stage because she did not want anyone
getting them dirty.
Her attention
to detail also threw organisers in a spin when she threatened to pull
out of Live 8 on the eve of the concert in a row over rehearsal time
and the placement of speakers.
Even though most
singers were only allocated 20 minutes for a sound check and a chance
to practise their opening song, Madonna insisted on a full rehearsal
of her three numbers.
Then, not only
did she refuse to let stage crew workers continue with their preparation
work while she practised, but she also insisted that they - and Live
8 organisers- should turn off their mobile phones throughout her rehearsal.
'She is a perfectionist
and her demands were driving everyone crazy,' a Live 8 insider told
The Mail on Sunday.
'She threw a complete
fit, though, the moment she saw the ten speakers at the front of the
stage. They are there so that singers can hear their own voices during
their performance so they know they are on key, but Madonna and her
singers all have their voices played straight into their ears through
microphones.
'She refused to
continue practising until crew members removed the speakers, and when
they tried to explain to her it would waste too much time during the
concert to be moving major pieces of equipment, she threatened to
walk out of the show entirely.
'It was a pretty
amazing display of her power. She just wouldn't budge. It was quite
clear it was going to be the speakers, or Madonna.'
'People were running
around in circles trying to work out what to do, until the stage manager
relented and had the ten speakers moved.'
Meanwhile,
other singers demonstrated a wholly relaxed attitude. "Mariah
Carey didn't even turn up to her sound check," said the source.
»
See
Also:
»
Missing
Mick? - Fox News
Excerpt:
And [Mariah]
Carey — unlike Madonna and many other stars — stuck around
and participated in the big finale. She gets credit for that in abundance.
»
From
Madonna fan site "Madonnalicious.com"
So
Madonna was using Live 8 to network, to make more money for herself,
and she promptly went out and spent $300,00 on a vacation:
Madonna at work
and at play
Posted:
06 July 2005 - From the New York Daily News
Meanwhile, it seems Madonna used her downtime at the London Live 8
show to slip in some networking.
She was spending
quality time backstage with Paul McCartney, and they had a 15-minute
chat about her new CD and him possibly doing something with her for
the record,' says a witness.
The Material
Mom leaves this week for a 12-day family vacation in Greece and Italy
that's costing a reputed $300,000. Says the insider: 'She even had
pal Donatella Versace whip her up duds just for the vacation, including
some hot bikinis.'
